At present, network Instant Messaging (IM) tools have been accepted by most Internet users and have become an indispensable software tool for the users. The IM tools have been widely used in both leisure and works of the users. The IM tools mainly realize a one-to-one friend chatting mode or a one-to-N chatting mode in a group or a discussion group. With development of Internet applications, applications of microblogs continue to grow. Microblog provides users with a new communication mode by a sentence of about 140 words. Microblogs can be spread and transferred very rapidly, which realize a one-to-indefinite chatting mode across the one-to-one and one-to-N mode. The one-to-indefinite mode means that one user may listen to microblogs distributed by millions of users.
The listening relationship of the microblog is an application of a loose relationship chain. One user may select to listen to users according to his interests. Thus, broadcast messages of these users may appear in homepage messages of a listener. However, a friend relationship in the instant messaging is an application of a strong relationship chain. It can be seen that, the listening relationship in the microblog and the friend relationship in the instant messaging complement each other to some extent.
Since the listening relationship in the microblog and the friend relationship in the instant messaging complement each other to some extent, after seeing a useful microblog message, a microblog user may desire to share this microblog message with his IM friend, so as to trigger a further communication with the IM friend.
At present, the microblog user shares the microblog message with the IM friend mainly through a pasting method which includes the following operations.
At step 11, a microblog message to be shared is copied at a microblog client or in a microblog page, the microblog message is converted into a plain text message.
At step 12, a chatting window with an IM friend is opened at an IM client or in an IM page, and the plain text message is pasted in the chatting window.
At step 13, contents in the chatting window are transmitted to the IM friend via a message tunnel with the IM friend.
It can be seen from the above that, the conventional method for sharing a microblog message with the IM friend is rather complex and inconvenient. The efficiency of sharing the microblog message is relatively low.